North Virginia Police Agencies Form Critical Incident Response Team
WOODBRIDGE, VA Jan 15 2021– As public outcry for transparency and police reform has continued across the country since the death of George Floyd last summer in Minneapolis, several local police departments across Northern Virginia are collaborating on a multi-agency committee that will investigate incidents involving the use of force by law enforcement.
The formation of the Northern Virginia Critical Incident Response Team was announced at a news conference Tuesday in Woodbridge, where homicide detectives and other investigators from various police agencies will provide criminal investigations into incidents in which force leads to death or serious injury. The team was also constructed to provide a system of checks and balances to ensure that neutrality takes place during internal investigations rather than having departments investigate their own officers.
Departments participating in the newly formed team include the City of Falls River, Arlington County, Fairfax City, Herndon, Leesburg, Manassas, Manassas Park, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police, Prince William County, Purcellville and Vienna.
Chiefs from 11 law enforcement agencies across the region began discussing the formation of a critical response team in December 2019. What came out of initial discussions was the formation of a group of investigators that will be assembled to travel to agencies to conduct independent investigations into incidents involving the use of force by officers, officials said Tuesday.
In the past, two investigations would be launched, including a criminal investigation into the actions of officers involved in shootings or other incidents in which the use of force led to life-threatening injuries or death. The newly formed CIRT team will now conduct those investigations and will work with a commonwealth attorney assigned to that municipality to conduct the investigation to determine if the use of force was justified and will then complete a final report, officials announced.
Detectives from within the department where the incident took place will not be part of the investigation into the incident ensure transparency and neutrality, Maj. Kevin Hughart, assistant police chief for Prince William County said Tuesday. Hughart said once the investigation is complete, a report will be issued to the Chief of Police of the department involved in the incident as well as to local prosecutors.
Hughart also said the process will provide assurances to officers who are being investigated that the fact-finding inquiry into incidents of use of force will be conducted objectively by qualified officers and detectives.
“This way, an accurate, thorough, independent and timely investigation of facts will occur,” Hughart said.
The second investigation involved in the process is an internal inquiry into whether the officer or officers involved followed their respective department’s procedures as it relates to the use of force. That part of the investigation will remain under the jurisdiction of each department, officials said.
The formation of the CIRT team will not replace investigative duties that have been completed by the Virginia State Police, but instead, provides more flexibility as investigations into incidents involving the use of force take place moving forward.
Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said that police reform in Virginia has been “eagerly embraced” to ensure professional standards among police officers around the state. While police reform has been questioned in some departments where systematic abuse by officers has taken place, DeBoard — who also serves as the President of the Virginia Chiefs of Police – said the collaborative effort is meant to provide assurances to the public that the use of force is being taken seriously by police agencies.
“Here in Northern Virginia, (police) reform is not a trend nor is it something that had to be forced on us,” DeBoard said during Tuesday’s news conference. “…This project builds public trust in the process.”
She added: “The important part of this team is that as a Chief of Police, I don’t have control of that (internal) investigation and that’s the important part of the public trust.”
